Aw more Clinton-speak from a master at the topic. <g>
>Read more carefully. I said "the person LEADING the
>fight...." (emphasis mine) Most of the most vocal opponents
>to the Motel live
>> in the neighborhood
Interesting -- I didn't know there was one person leading the fight. There
are a number of folks who fit that bill-- including the winner of the
widely coveted Basim Sabri Pain in the A** award.
>> Most of the people advocating for the hotel live in the neighborhood
too. That's one of the examples of the racism which comes out in this
debate. The implication is that if folks are not English speakers, they
don't live here.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
That's very convenient to say -- but the people who spoke in favor of the
Motel at Brian Herron's meeting with the community were all native English
Speakers. I haven't heard anyone say that whether someone speaks English
or not determins whether they live in the neighborhood. It is well
established -- and Sabri has even admitted to stacking Central meetings
with people who don't live in the neighborhood. And that's a separate
story.
>>Sabri called Walt Gutzmer
>> and David Piehl "racists"
>Racism/classism/etc. is in the eye of the accuser, not the
>accused. Though Sabri said it, it could very well be (and
>I'd be willing to bet it is )the consensus of the many--only
>25.x% Caucasian--and, having a long history with both Walter
>and David, I know the accusation to be true. It is also
>true for every other adult in the neighborhood, so it's
>hardly a distinguishing attribute. David and Walter may be
>personally accused because they made themselves more
>prominent in a whole bunch of arenas.
--------------------------------------------
Now I didn't think that was how our system of justice works.... I thought
it was presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
However, Gutzmer and Piehl both opposed Sabri politically -- so he
attributed racist motives to their opposition. Lisa McDonald has opposed
Sabri politically -- and he's leveled the same accusation against her. As
Lisa McDonald said: "[Racism] has nothing to do with it. He says that
about everybody that opposes him." (Street Fighting Man, City Pages,
5/16/01) I've observed a number of times people using various charges of
racism, anti-gay attitudes (I personally detest the term homophobia),
sexism etc. as weapons to derail political opposition. When these issues
come up, it's important to have dialog -- a give and take on the subject.
I think it's also worth while respecting each others differences. We don't
have to all look or think alike.
> as well as talking about "cockfighting" going on
>> in a Hmong family's house. Isn't Sabri using bullying tactics with other
immigrants here?
>Another example of racism here. Who alleges?
Sabri made the allegation about cockfighting on this list. Neighbors who
live next to the alleged cockfighters (who have now moved) stated that
while there were chickens in that house -- and also a pig -- it was
apparently an urban farm -- there was no cockfighting. The neighbors would
have known about that.
>The very
>persons accused of racism. No one knows that Sabri bullied
>anyone. For all you know, or I know, or anyone else knows,
>they asked Sabri to speak for them. He does seem to be the
>leader of the laundromat among the immigrants and often
>among the African Americans.
---------------------------------
There were a number of African Americans at the Brian Herron led No Motel
meeting that spoke strongly against the motel -- and did not seem to have
much fondness for Sabri. It is interesting to watch someone who is
caucasion choosing the African American community leaders for them.
>Guess what? They don't get to vote on this issue. They do
>get to ask the question, 'how is this racist/how does this
>action adversely affect persons of color?'
>People of color replied very clearly vis-a-vis the hotel:
>'these are jobs, these are entry-level jobs, these are close
>to home so I don't need a car, these don't require a high
>level of skill in English'. I don't think they could have
>been any clearer. They said it in Spanish, they said it in
>English, they said it in Somali, they said it in Arabic.
>The accusation is 'they don't live here, those are
>low-paying jobs, it won't help the neighborhood.' There is
>the racism, big as life. They do live here, in this
>neighborhood where Caucasians are the minority and these are
>the kind of jobs they need at this time and will need for
>some time in the future.
------------------------------
Now I was at the CNIA Business Development Meeting discussing the Motel,
and I don't recall the scene described here -- people speaking in Somali
and Arabic about wanting jobs in that Motel. Now maybe I missed
something.....
>> There's nothing wrong with asking someone to explain more about a charge
>> they have made.
>Demonizing Sabri, myself, the Metoyers and etc. is not
>asking anyone to explain. It's disrespecting the person and
>creating a climate in which those accused of racism can
>automatically dismiss whatever is said by their accusers.
>One developer brought a hotel with 38 jobs plus the jobs
>building it, the other developer offered a real estate
>office where she would maybe be the sole employee/owner but
>might have two other employess at some point. One developer
>had the wherewithall to develop something like ten lots, all
>but two of which are vacant. Those making the racism
>accusation had made their wants known at a meeting of the
>CNIA development committee where they passed the motion.
That meeting was a farce -- and the lack of respect or allowance for time
for folks who had concerns for the Motel got Council Member Herron to call
another meeting to discuss the subject. That meeting was well chaired and
managed by Council Member Herron. I guess stating a different perpective
from the one espoused by Sabri, Marks, the Metoyers is not "demonising"
anyone. It is just stating information.
>> There were many posts on cnia-chat from you advocating for the Motel.
>There were many posts from me advocating for jobs and
>revenue for the neighborhood via a hotel.
----------------------------------------------
Actually I'll have to check again -- but those weren't the main points
made in those posts.
>Let's get down to some brass tacks.
>Well, I can say without fear of contradiction from any side
>that this has been entirely tacky and quite brassy to boot.
>Remember, Eva, you came in after the issue had been debated
>for something like six years. During those six years, the
>demographic profile of Central was turned on its head and,
>during the debate neither side gave ground.
The Demographic profile of Central has ALWAYS been racially and culturally
diverse. The immigrant communities are bringing alot into Central. So
does the Gay and Lesbian community within Central. Unfortunately there's
way too much playing the game "who is more oppressed" -- and somehow, being
the most oppressed is somehow a badge of honor. I've never quite
understood how that attitude helps anyone -- least of all those who are
"oppressed".
>And the new organization, by implication, is then the
>political arm of the white minority homeowners? Thank you
>for making my case for me.
>WizardMarks, Central
The goal is to build an organization that will represent the needs of
Central Residents. I'm not a homeowner, I rent.
Eva
Eva Young
Central
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